Originally posted by: MadRat
I have to say that after several days of pondering the issues, I'm almost at the point where I'd have to support the rights of people to spontaneously walk in protest without all the red tape. Quite frankly the governments of local cities couldn't handle several thousand in spontaneous protests. What would happen if the issue sparked hundred of thousands or even millions? I know since grade school the idea of getting arrested for protesting has been pounded into our brains. I'm from the generation x group, groing to school mostly in the late seventies and eighties. And it just dawned on me the only reason I've supported the viewpoint that government should regulate protests is because we had so much propoganda on television spouting that viewpoint.
In another
thread here in ATP&N we see how people in other countries largely ignore the "right" of the government to regulate protest. Hell, we had mass chaos in France over the immigration issue there. What if our local citizenry had been so emotionally attached to the same issue that they marched? I have a feeling that the undocumented immigrants are feared while the citizens are not. I have this gut feeling that our society has been using scapegoats and made examples out of too many honest people that we were caught unprepared for the day we might just want to speak out in mass.
Anyone want to chime in on these thoughts?
